EARLY EDUCATION
R.I.S.E. Academy ECE
Academy Preschool is a play-based child development center that reflects the Reggio Emilia approach in both its setting and curriculum. Children learn best in an environment that provides safety, nurturing staff, encouragement, supportive relationships, and offers many opportunities for children to explore and play. In order to gauge and evaluate the quality of our early childhood program, we use ECER (Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale) once a year and DRDP (Desired Results Developmental Profile) twice a year.
We strongly value the relationships built at our school between both teacher and child and teacher and family. The child’s family is seen as our partner in their child’s education and we welcome them to participate in the classroom in various ways.
Our classrooms have a variety of different learning centers including: science, art, dramatic play, reading, writing, Quran, Islamic Studies, blocks and manipulative. Our classroom is a language rich environment to help facilitate and support early literacy experiences for children. Curriculum is developed around both the individual and the group. Our classroom will provide a stimulating and exciting learning environment with abundant opportunities for discovery for young mind.
VISION
Rise Academy strives for the development of the whole child by providing academic excellence in a faith-based and innovative learning environment. It is our vision to guide and nurture students to become role models who will exhibit high levels of God-consciousness, professional excellence, and civic leadership by serving society at large.
MISSION
Our mission is to promote the holistic development of the child through an authentic and experiential student learning experience. This is accomplished by educating the child in the formation of faith, family, and community. Academy students learn to become responsible and productive members of the society through a faith-based education promoting tolerance, peace, and justice.
PHILOSOPHY
Academy strives for the development of the whole child by providing excellence in academic preparation in a faith-based environment. It is our vision to guide and nurture students to become role models who will exhibit high levels of God-consciousness, professional excellence, and civic leadership by serving society at large.
GOALS
Students will SEEK academic excellence through a vigorous faith-based integrated curriculum while developing a life-long passion for learning.
- Students will ACT as independent learners in a responsible, compassionate manner with the intention of serving humanity through positive contributions to the local and global community.
- Students will BECOME God-conciseness individuals by building their moral character, practicing self-discipline, and communicating respectfully and effectively.
- Students will ACHIEVE a holistic understanding of themselves by deepening their understanding of their Nurturer, the Quran, and the Ahlul-Bait
PROGRAMS
Our children’s journey begins in the toddler room. Early childhood theories emphasize that the first three years of a child’s life are the most crucial in developing their language and cognition. During this time, children also need emotional support and care in order to develop in a healthy manner. Th is is why we make it our priority to ensure that your child feels secure and supported while at SABA Academy. Our teachers are trained to be receptive to the needs of our toddlers and maintain a positive and nurturing environment. In addition, they are thoroughly prepared, as we know that toddlers have unique needs.
Our classrooms have been designed to help toddlers explore in a structured environment that engages and stimulates their developing minds. We understand and take the necessary time to help them adjust to the school environment. Our staff will teach them important social skills, such as sharing and following a schedule, and also life skills, such as potty training. Our weekly lesson plans feature developmentally appropriate activities that engage children’s sensory skills all the while they learn, explore, and increase their confidence.
You may observe some of the following development milestones in your toddler:
- Proficiency in toilet training
- Increased fine and gross motor Skills
- Increased independence and initiative
- Increased language acquisition and development
- Enhanced attention span
“Play” is an essential skill through which children learn from and interact with the world around them. Therefore, play is one of the pillars of our preschool. Each of our classes revolve around a theme-based curriculum that is centered on the concept of play. Our comprehensive weekly lesson plans integrate all different subjects, such as Math, Language Development, Social Skills, and Science, through fun methods. Through interactive, hands-on activities students explore different letters, numbers, shapes, and colors each week. In an effort to maintain open communication with parents, our weekly lesson plans can be accessed in the main hallway.
In the early childhood stage, children are rapidly growing and hitting development milestones. It is crucial that they are thus in an environment that meets their emotional, social, and academic needs. Our highly qualified teachers encourage children to develop important life skills that will ensure future success in school, such as listening attentively and cooperating with others. In addition, they are encouraged to achieve a growth mindset, which will motivate them to learn and grow from their experiences.
You may observe some of the following development milestones in your preschooler:
- Counting and one-to-one correspondence
- Participating in collaborative play
- Sorting objects by size, shape, and color
- Recognizing letters and their name
- Making predictions based on simple actions
- Increased attention span
Sr Farnaz Behzadpour
ECE Site Supervisor
Farnaz Behzadpour is the ECE Site Supervisor. She has a bachelor’s degree in science and was previously a midwife for ten years. Additionally, she has worked at various preschools and kindergartens which provided her with ample experience in early childhood education. She loves working with children and she even ran a daycare and summer camp for several years. Sister Farnaz enjoys reading, especially the Quran, as well as cooking, knitting, and going for walks. Her goal at ECE is to help children develop independence and critical thinking skills, as well as providing a nurturing experience in a healthy environment.
Sr Elham Shaheidari
Sr Ghazal Shah
Sr Ghazal has been working at R.I.S.E Academy since 2017 and enjoys working with toddler and preschoolers. After graduating from high school, she pursued bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education as teaching young children has always been her passion. Her teaching philosophy is to help students learn life skills in a very caring environment and be successful in their upcoming school years. She does this by implementing Islamic principles and educational values into children from a young age.
ghazal.shah@riseschools.education
Sr Sara Jafari
Sister Sara Jafari is a preschool teacher. She was born in Iran and went on to study biotechnology in India. Upon returning to Iran, she completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology. She continued her education after coming to the US and studied child development at Foothill College. Sister Sara believes learning happens through positive relationships, experiences, and exploration. She believes that a sense of belonging is what allows children to become productive contributors to the world they live in. Her goal is to provide all children in her class with a comfortable, creative, nurturing, and educational environment which allows them to develop at their own pace.
Sr Sara Vesghitabrizi
Sister Sara Vesghitabrizi is an ECE toddler teacher. She studied clinical psychology and acquired her bachelor’s degree in Iran. After moving to the US, she took additional early education courses. She has been at Rise Academy for the past year and is passionate about working with young children. She believes that children should be given opportunities to discover and explore new experiences. Step by step and day by day, her goal is to help them flourish.
CURRICULUM
PHILOSOPHY
Our curriculum is designed to develop
- social /emotional
- Language Arts and literacy
- Math
- Science
- Life Skills
- Communication/ Socialization Skills
Our curriculum is play-based and approach is based on Reggio Emilia’s philosophy and Montessori inspired. The Ece curriculum is called “Glad” and “Big Day”. They will improve social emotional, communication, critical thinking, cognitive, problem solving, fine and large motor skills all through play.
Islamic Studies Curriculum
Kisa Kids Islamic curriculum which parents can download or purchase from kisakids.org. This curriculum includes Quramic verses and Akhlaq lessons with sign language and Islamic beliefs with stories of the Hakima and Hadi family introduction to fiqh. History of the Ahl- al Bayt (a) and Great Prophets.